Two Trails. One September.

My adventures for September will be a month of two wheels, tent stakes, and new places to explore.

I’m getting ready for two multi-day bikepacking adventures: the Root River Trail in southeastern Minnesota and the Katy Trail across Missouri.

They’re very different trails, which is part of what makes the combination so appealing to me.

The Root River Trail winds through Minnesota’s Driftless Area, a landscape of wooded hills, limestone bluffs, river valleys, farmland, and small towns. I’m looking forward to slowing down, camping along the way, exploring the communities, and experiencing a part of Minnesota that I really enjoy bicycling.

Then it’s on to Missouri and the Katy Trail, one of the longest developed rail-trails in the country. I’ll be riding west to east from Clinton toward St. Charles, following the old railroad corridor through farmland, small towns, and eventually alongside the Missouri River.

During September, my plan is simple: wake up, pack the bike, ride, explore, camp, recover, and do it again the next morning.

That’s one of the things I’ve come to appreciate about bikepacking. The bicycle gives you just enough speed to cover some ground while still moving slowly enough to experience where you are.

You notice the landscape changing. You stop in small towns. You talk with people. You eat when you’re hungry, rest when you’re tired, and discover what’s around the next bend.

And for a few days, life becomes wonderfully simple.

My September adventures aren’t about how far or how fast I can go.

They’re about continuing to move, staying curious, camping, and seeing what happens when I point the bicycle down the trail.

Two trails. Two adventures. Plenty of miles still waiting to be discovered.

Time for another adventure.